PodMedia HistoryCast Podcast

“Going into my first one, we played it pretty safe. We really wanted to work on strength and didn’t touch much work faster than 5:00/mile pace. Then going into Boston, we pushed the envelope a little bit — like, okay, we’ve got one on the board, let’s go for a big one.” We’re kicking off our pre-NYC Marathon interviews and my guest for today’s episode is Joe Klecker — an Olympian, 2026 Boston Marathon top-ten finisher, and in eleven days, a returning TCS New York City Marathon competitor. He ran 2:05:56 at Boston in the spring, which puts him in the conversation with everyone we’ve been talking about this fall, and he goes into New York off what he described to me as his best training block yet. There were seven weeks above 130 miles and a peak at 135. This is a training-heavy discussion for the freaks. I think the part I enjoyed the most was thinking through with Joe on his theory of what a former 5K and mile specialist has to do to actually become a marathoner from the inside out? That was him. He’s spent…

LA28 OLYMPIC MARATHON QUALIFICATION DETAILS ARE HERE. World Athletics has outlined how athletes can qualify for the 2028 Olympic marathon: - Qualification window: Nov. 1, 2026 – April 30, 2028 - 70 quota places per gender (down from 80 in Paris) - Entry standards to be finalized in December - Top 5 at a Platinum Label marathon counts toward the entry standard - World Rankings will help fill the remaining places - March 19, 2028: Top 55 on the filtered quota list are locked in That last date is especially important for Team USA. It’s six days before the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in St. Louis, meaning the Americans could have all three men’s and three women’s Olympic quota places secured before race day. We broke down the rules, the Boston Marathon wrinkle, potential qualifying standards and why we feel better about the U.S. avoiding a repeat of the 2024 qualification headache. ____________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS SUUNTO: The Suunto Run 2 is their new flagship watch built specifically for road running and the…

“I’ve watched too many Chicago Marathons. I’ve been in too many Chicago Marathons. My experience in this race is unparalleled right now — and it felt good when it mattered on Sunday.” Clayton Young is the top American at the 2026 Chicago Marathon, now officially the second-fastest American in history on a record-eligible course with a 2:05:23. He did it on a hamstring with a 12-centimeter tear that his doctor had recommended four weeks of rest for. The race itself was one of the more dramatic in recent American marathon history. Vinny Mauri went to the front at 15K, dropped the pacers, and made a genuine bid for something bigger — at 30K he had 38 seconds on the rest of the Americans and was on 2:04 pace. Then it was his hamstring that started talking. He stopped several times to stretch in the final miles, the chase pack caught him. Charles Hicks surged hard trying to catch Mauri after the pacers stepped off, and Clayton simply followed before making his big move with a 4:38 mile. Clayton was chasing Connor…

"I’m coming away happy with taking a big swing at it. It’s better to hit the wall early than in March of ’28 or at something that matters a little bit more.” My guest for today’s episode is Vinny Mauri. And Sunday’s Chicago Marathon was exactly as exciting as you hoped it would be thanks to him. At 15K, running 2:04 pace in his first world major, Vinny looked around, decided that was too conservative, and made a move for something he described as “astronomical”. He led the Americans by 38 seconds at 30K. He was on American record pace at mile 21. And then the hamstrings started talking, he had to stop and stretch about six times in the final ten miles, and he finished tenth in 2:06:45. He also still managed to walk away with the U.S. 30K record. Vinny is 25 years old, still self-coached, still working at Second Sole in Niles, Ohio, now signed with ASICS, and now in two marathons has run 2:05 and 2:06 — one alone on a bike path and one in the lead pack of the Chicago Marathon where he spent the first nine…

I always want to take it in and appreciate it because I feel so lucky to get to have those moments. And I know it takes a village.” Emma Grace Hurley ran 2:20:47 at the 2026 Chicago Marathon on Sunday — the fastest marathon debut by an American woman in history, breaking a record that stretches back to Deena Kastor in 2001 and runs through Kara Goucher, Jordan Hasay, and Fiona O’Keeffe. She finished seventh overall on a warm day where most of the lead women finished minutes off their goal times or didn’t finish at all. She did it mostly alone aside from the miles shared with her pacemaker Caleb Kerr. If you’ve been following Emma Grace’s year — the 8K American record in Chicago in March, the USATF 10-Mile title at Cherry Blossom, the Copenhagen team silver — none of this is entirely surprising. But it is also only her first marathon, and she is already the sixth-fastest American woman in history at the debut. We discuss: – The feelings from race day and the aftermath – Her Debrief with Coach Andrew Begley…

Chris and Preet are back to break down the biggest highlights from the Chicago Marathon yesterday, including: – After finishing second in 2025, Amos Kipruto claimed his Chicago title in 2:01:09, tying Eliud Kipchoge for No. 5 on the all-time list. – Reigning champion Hawi Feysa and two-time Chicago champion and former world record holder Brigid Kosgei went out hard, covering the opening 10K in 31:04 (2:11:05 pace). – Sharon Lokedi’s marathon career is a picture of consistency. Her runner-up finish in Chicago came with a three-minute PB of 2:14:07 and moved her to No. 8 on the all-time list. – There was plenty of hype around Emma Grace Hurley’s marathon debut, to which we contributed with a pre-race podcast and workout video. Given her fifth place finish at last month’s World Road Running Championships half marathon and her 2026 season as a whole, the excitement was warranted. – Another seventh-place finish for Clayton Young! This time, he ran a huge PB of 2:05:23 to finish as the top American at a World…

“If I could teleport back a thousand times over, I’d probably make the same decision without the knowledge I have today. But going forward into every race, I’ll have that knowledge.” Twelve months ago, Charles Hicks had never run a marathon. Since then he’s raced three of them: sixth in New York, seventh in Boston, and yesterday in Chicago, eighth in 2:05:35. That’s the third-fastest time ever by an American on a record-eligible course. He was second American in all of them. He’s 25 years old and still technically in his rookie year at the distance. Chicago was a strange, thrilling race. It was the warmest marathon Charles has run. Vinny Mauri broke away at Mile 9 and went chasing the American record or something bigger. When the pacers stepped off at 30K, Charles and Clayton Young had to decide whether to sit in the pack and settle for second American, or roll the dice and try to go get him. He went. He caught Vinny. Then, with three miles to go, Clayton dropped a 4:38 mile and it was enough to seal…

My guest for today’s episode is Anthony Rizzo — three-time All-Star, 2016 World Series champion with the Cubs, and as of Sunday morning, a marathoner. He is running the Chicago Marathon for the first time, on the tenth anniversary of that World Series title, in support of the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation, with a goal of raising a million dollars for pediatric cancer research. Anthony was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 22, beat it, and played 12 more seasons of Major League Baseball. He signed up for Chicago after watching his wife Emily run New York in 2023, got inspired, pulled in former teammate Jake Arrieta as a running partner, and has spent the last several months discovering that distance running is, in his words, a whole underground world he never knew existed. In this conversation we talk about what drew him here, what training actually looked like, getting plugged in with Brooks, and what he wants to find out about himself when it gets hard on Sunday.

My guest for today’s episode is Adriaan Wildschutt — a NAZ Elite athlete, South African national record holder in the half marathon, and as of Sunday, a marathoner. He makes his debut at the Chicago Marathon four days from now, which means he is currently listed last on the start list. He has no marathon personal best. He is completely fine with that. Adriaan grew up in South Africa, playing rugby, cricket, and soccer before discovering running in tenth grade. He came to the US on a scholarship to Coastal Carolina — recruited by Zola Budd — and later transferred to Florida State to compete in the ACC. He spent his post-collegiate career on the track, made the Paris Olympics in 2024, and then had to make a decision: where does a runner who keeps getting dropped in the final 150 meters of a 1500 actually belong? Everyone around him had been saying marathon for years. He decided they were probably right, and with the LA Olympics two years out, he didn’t have time to ease into it. His transition has moved…

The Chicago Marathon goes Sunday on a course that has produced a world record or an American record every year since 2022. Defending champions Jacob Kiplimo and Hawi Feysa return, and multiple men in the field have openly said they’re chasing Conner Mantz’s American record. The weather: 59°F with a 54°F dew point at 7 a.m. local, rising to 64°F and a 57°F dew point by 9. Manageable for the elites, warmer than ideal for records. The margin for error shrinks as the race goes on. The men’s favorite: Kiplimo has a 2:00:28 PB from London — a minute faster than anyone else entered, and faster than Kiptum’s old world record, in a race he finished third. He’s skipped a tune-up this year after opening with a 58:29 half before winning Chicago in 2:02:23 last fall. The women’s race: Brigid Kosgei returns to the site of her 2:14:04 world record for the first time since 2019, off a resurgent year — wins in Shanghai (2:16:36) and Tokyo (2:14:29), where she beat Feysa. Plus: We unpack the intense races for top American on…

“I really haven’t been this excited heading into a race in a long time. And that’s all rooted in the training I’ve done.” Kyle Merber’s second conversation with Galen Rupp ahead of the Chicago Marathon comes with bittersweet news: Kyle is scratching. A jagged rock on the exit of a river after a good run turned into a trauma-induced plantar situation that worsened until Chicago was no longer feasible. He takes full responsibility and exonerates Galen completely. The coaching experiment, which produced some of Kyle’s best training since retiring, just ran out of luck in the final stretch. Galen, meanwhile, is entering race week as the most excited he’s been before a race in a long time. We discuss: – The taper and why flat legs are normal – Mike Smith’s observation heading into Chicago – Race week food — what Galen actually does – Antrim half marathon — the tune-up – The coaching relationship with Mike Smith – How Galen thinks about competition – Training logs — handwritten vs. phone – The 200s session — Galen…

“Toledo was a debut effort. This is my debut race of the marathon. Those are two different things.” My guest for today’s episode is Vinny Mauri — and the last time we had him on, he had just run 2:05:53 in his marathon debut on a bike path in Toledo, Ohio, self-coached, without a pacer, without a shoe contract, and with no course clocks anywhere on the route. He looked up at the finishing clock expecting to see 2:09 and it said 2:05. He had no idea. A lot has happened since then. He signed a professional contract with ASICS. He hired Hawi Keflezighi as his agent. He kept his hours at Second Sole running store in Niles, Ohio, where he fits customers for shoes and occasionally gets asked by someone how training is going. He has not raced once. And he has built one of the more unconventional marathon training blocks any American professional has put together ahead of a world major — seven consecutive weeks of 26-plus mile long runs, a 138-mile peak week, a September day that became 45 miles on the treadmill at…

A lighter week of running action but a big performance out of Berlin needs some more context. Discussed in this episode: – Berlin Marathon — men’s race: Guy Adola wins in 2:02:51 in the absence of Sebastian Sawe (stress fracture to the right tibia ruled him out of all fall marathon options). – Tigst Assefa, 2:11:04, and the Achilles that didn’t quite hold: Assefa won Berlin in 2:11:04 for the third fastest women’s marathon ever. She was on world record pace through 40K. The projection was 2:09:44. At 40K the wheels came off. Her management’s statement says she first felt pain at 31K and suffered a severe injury — described as a complete rupture of the right Achilles — at approximately 40K. She completed the final 2.2 kilometers. Surgery followed on Monday. Recovery timeline: potentially up to seven months. We unpack: – The science debate on an Achilles injury – The medical opinion – Her Achilles history – The credibility question on if she would have broken Ruth Chepngetich’s world record – The Adidas…

“I called my shot. I’m confident in my ability to still chase the American record. I’ve already learned so much this build that it’s already been a success.” My guest today is Brooks professional marathoner and Suunto-supported athlete Clayton Young, joining us two weeks before the 2026 Chicago Marathon. Earlier this spring, Clayton finished 11th at Boston in 2:05:41 after a ten-week build that followed a significant injury and a change in sponsors. He’s spent months preparing for Chicago with a bigger goal in mind: chasing Conner Mantz’s American marathon record of 2:04:43. Part of that ambition came from watching Josh Kerr call his shot at the mile world record. Clayton took to heart the idea of creating the conditions for a breakthrough, and he’s written the same declaration in his journal every day: “I, Clayton Young, will break the American record on October 11th, 2026 at the Chicago Marathon.” But his tune-up at the Great North Run didn’t go as planned, and he had an MRI afterward. For the first time,…

Unlike “normal” global championship years, this professional season ended with three championships of a sort: the Diamond League final, World Ultimate Championships, and World Road Running Championships. As its name implies, the “ultimate” championship feels like the closest thing we had this year to a be-all-end-all determination of who’s the best athlete in their respective events, but it’s easier to look at the calendar and suggest that success in other forays—whether it’s the European Championships, regular-season DL circuit, Commonwealth Games, or something else entirely—could mean the same or more than a trophy in Budapest. That made sorting out our year-end power rankings all the more challenging. How do you account for a steeplechaser who didn’t have the option of competing at WUC? Or a sprinter who ran really well, but didn’t necessarily face the same competition as a U.S. championship? When we first took on this assignment in June, World Indoors was the single biggest event on the schedule you…

“I’ve allowed my brain to anchor on the fact that I can run 2:04. It’s physically possible — and that’s as good as it gets as a signal. Now let’s go find out what the trend looks like.” My guest for today’s episode is Charles Hicks and the last time we had him on was right after he ran 2:04:35 at the Boston Marathon. A lot has happened since then. His wife graduated law school. They got married. They went on a honeymoon. And then Charles moved out to Park City, Utah, to train at altitude for the first time in his career — no tent, no simulated environment, just real air at real elevation — for what will be his third marathon in less than a year. That third marathon is the Chicago Marathon, and Charles is going into it with a specific goal he’s been comfortable saying out loud: he finished second American in New York, second American in Boston, and now he wants to be first American in Chicago. The American record conversation is happening around him — Clayton Young has called his shot publicly — but Charles’s…

“The best athlete has short-term memory. After good races you push it away, and after bad races you just forget and move on.” My guest for today’s episode is Klaudia Kazimierska — the World Ultimate champion at 1500 meters and one of the biggest breakthrough stories in track and field this year. She is 25 years old, a Nike pro, and trains under coach Jerry Schumacher in Eugene, Oregon. Her past month is the type of season most athletes would dream of. Here is how September went for Klaudia. She broke the Polish national record early in the month at the Silesia Diamond League. Then she went to Brussels and won the Diamond League Final in 3:54.05 — a world lead, a meet record, and a Polish record again all in the same race. Then she came back a week later and won the World Ultimate Championship 1500 meter final. Then she capped her season in London with another victory over Hunter Bell. In those last three races, she earned $275,000 in prize money. In this one, we go back to Poland, where she started running…

“I haven’t really taken the time to appreciate it yet. I think if you had told me on the front end that was going to happen, I would have been floored. But now I’m just like, okay, I gotta refocus on marathon training.” My guest for today’s episode is Emma Grace Hurley and since we last had her on in May, a lot has happened. She went to Copenhagen last weekend and finished fifth at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in a personal best of 1:06:23, an American record for an all-women’s race. She also helped the United States women’s team claim the silver medal — a result that, going into the day, wasn’t even on anyone’s radar. The team went 5th, 6th, and 7th with her, Weini Kelati, and Jess McClain all finishing within 30 seconds of each other, and the photo of the three of them at the finish is one of those American women’s distance running moments that we want to blow up into a poster. In 19 days, she runs the Chicago Marathon for her debut at the distance. So there was no easing into the…

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia recap the World Road Running Championships, the ATHLOS London experience and some news on the future cities hosting the World Championships. Plus: Some big personal news. Discussed in this episode: – CITIUS MAG baby: Chris and Kari announced their pregnancy the day before recording. Baby due February 2027. – Nairobi gets the 2029 World Championships — the first senior global outdoor championship on the African continent, in the country that has produced more all-time greats than arguably any other. They’ve invested heavily in renovating the Kasarani Stadium. The altitude is roughly 5,500-6,000 feet — slightly higher than Boulder. – Munich 2031: Strong choice. Europeans 2022 in Munich was widely regarded as one of the best championships many attendees had seen. Germany has hosted World Championships before (Berlin 2009). – Athlos London — Preet’s first-time assessment: The vibe was much closer to what he’d hoped World Ultimates would feel like – Keely’s all-black Nike speed…

Once I crossed the finish line it was more like relief. You always know you can do it, but once you finally do it you’re like: okay. Now we’ve got that check mark. Now we’re on to the next thing.” Kenny Bednarek is the first man in history to win both the 100 and 200 meters at a single World Ultimate Championships, which he did in Budapest last week. Two gold medals, roughly 30 seconds of combined running, and a $300,000 payday. Kenny has been one of the most decorated sprinters in the world for several years — two Olympic silver medals in the 200, a world championship silver, and a personal best of 19.52 that puts him among the fastest 200 runners in history. But individual gold at a global championship had not happened yet. This season had one overriding goal — set before World Ultimates existed on the calendar — and it was not about times. It was about executing when it counts. He opened his 200 season in 19.69, confirmed it was automatic, then pivoted. At the Silesia Diamond League in Poland he ran 9.87…

Olympic silver medalist Sandi Morris joins us in Budapest after winning her first outdoor global title in pole vault, closing out a rollercoaster season with a 4.90m clearance. Sandi talks about the long road from collecting outdoor silver medals to finally getting her gold, working with new coach Brooke Rasnick, and why she believes she's only getting started. She also breaks down the strategy behind her winning jump, including switching to bigger poles and making split-second decisions with her coach in the middle of the competition. Plus, she explains why she passed 4.85m, how she knew the door was open when Hana missed at 4.90m, her plans for LA 2028, and more. ____________ Stay tuned for more coverage from the World Ultimate Championships and make sure you’re subscribed to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠CITIUS MAG YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠so you don’t miss any of our interviews. Follow along on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠, and subscribe to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠CITIUS MAG Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive our daily recaps.

Nikki Hiltz joins Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber live from Budapest after finishing third in the 1500m at the World Ultimate Championships, the highest finish of their career at an outdoor global championship. Nikki reflects on a huge 2026 season that included wins at Millrose Games and the Pre Classic, a dramatic U.S. Championships victory, and taking third at World Ultimates. They break down the 1500m final, Georgia Hunter Bell's late move, and their battle to the finish with Klaudia Kazimierska. Plus, Nikki talks about their mental growth, racing with confidence, time trials, and why they're ready for a much-needed break after one more race in London this weekend. ____________ Stay tuned for more coverage from the World Ultimate Championships and make sure you’re subscribed to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠CITIUS MAG YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠⁠so you don’t miss any of our interviews. Follow along on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠, and subscribe to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠CITIUS MAG Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive our daily recaps.

Hana Moll joins Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber in Budapest fresh off her runner-up finish at the World Ultimate Championships. She talks about how she managed to keep her momentum going through her long season, including competing five times in less than a month, and why she chose to skip USAs for a month-long training block instead. Plus, she talks about balancing school with life on the professional circuit, why having friends and a strong community makes constant travel easier, her finance major, staying connected with her sister while competing around the world, and why she's looking forward to taking a break before turning her attention to 2027. ____________ Stay tuned for more coverage from the World Ultimate Championships and make sure you’re subscribed to the ⁠⁠⁠CITIUS MAG YouTube channel ⁠⁠⁠so you don’t miss any of our interviews. Follow along on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠, and subscribe to the ⁠⁠⁠CITIUS MAG Newsletter⁠⁠⁠ to receive our daily recaps.

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber recap the final day of World Ultimates, including an American sprint sweep, a 45.98 in the 400m hurdles, and Josh Kerr adding a 1500m title to his mile world record. The biggest headlines: - Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Kenny Bednarek each leave Budapest with $300,000 after sweeping the 100m and 200m titles. MJW ran 21.47 in the women's 200m — the fourth-fastest time in history, into a 0.6 m/s headwind — to beat 2024 Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas (21.77). Only Florence Griffith Joyner's 1988 world record (21.34) and two Shericka Jackson runs have been faster. MJW also swept both events at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. - Kenny Bednarek won the men's 200m in a personal-best 19.52 — becoming the seventh-fastest man in history — beating 2024 Olympic gold medalist Letsile Tebogo. It's the same time Noah Lyles ran to win the 2025 World title in Tokyo. Bednarek said afterward: "Performance-wise and execution-wise, I give myself an A-plus." Two 200m Olympic silvers deep…

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber recap a wild day 2 of the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship, including sprint finals, sub-44 history in the men's 400m, an American sweep of the 100m titles, and one of the deepest single days of racing the sport has seen in some time The biggest headlines: - Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Kenny Bednarek gave the United States a sweep of the 100m titles. Jefferson-Wooden ran 10.62 — one hundredth off her personal best from winning the 2025 World title — to beat Julien Alfred (10.74) and Sha'Carri Richardson (10.76). She now has just one 100m defeat since taking bronze in Paris, and stands as the fourth-fastest woman in history. Bednarek ran 9.85 to win the biggest individual race of his career, beating 2025 World champion Oblique Seville by five hundredths. Noah Lyles was out injured. Bednarek did the job the American men needed. - Collen Kebinatshipi of Botswana ran 43.39 in the men's 400m to win by 76 hundredths — the joint-fifth-fastest 400m in history. He has now…

Fresh off his third place finish in the 5000m at the World Ultimate Championships, Parker Wolfe joins Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber to reflect on his first full year as a professional runner, from staying healthy and consistent for nearly the entire season to racing the best athletes in the world and learning how to put himself in the right position when the stakes are highest. We get into what changed for Parker after leaving the NCAA, including the more individualized strength and PT work with Swoosh TC and how being surrounded by teammates who are running fast has pushed everyone to another level. Parker also breaks down the long-term approach he learned from Coach Milt, his transition to Mike Smith, and why he believes there’s still more room to improve. Parker also takes us inside some of his biggest races of the season, including the tactical decisions that went into the World Ultimate Championships 5K, his growing confidence racing up front, and the race videos he watches to learn the tactics of his…

We recap the historic opening day of the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship, track and field's newest global meet, with a $10 million prize pool that World Athletics is calling the richest in the history of the sport. The biggest headlines: - Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the men's 5000m in 12:59.24, going from fourth to first in the last 200 meters to beat Cole Hocker on his return to the 5000m. Hocker took silver in his first race at the distance since winning the 2025 World title. Parker Wolfe finished third. Nico Young was fifth. Grant Fisher sixth. Graham Blanks seventh. Five Americans in the top seven of a global 5000m final. It happened one week after Jakob and Hocker exchanged public words following the Diamond League Final. - Masai Russell won the women's 100m hurdles in 12.22 — two weeks after lowering the world record to 12.09 at the Zurich Diamond League. She's now on a 13-meet win streak dating back to placing fourth at the 2025 World Championships. Training partner Devynne Charlton was second…

Wallace Spearmon joins the CITIUS MAG Podcast live from Budapest to talk all things World Ultimate Championships, USATF, and the current state of the sport. The former world medalist breaks down the new 200m lane draft, why he’d happily take an outside lane, what Kenny Bednarek’s lane choice says about his race strategy, and why having the best athletes in the world all in one place could make for some of the most competitive rounds we’ve seen. He also shares what it was like competing in an era with “off years,” how the business of professional track has changed, and why he believes athletes today have more freedom to show their personalities. Wallace also gets into the entertainment side of track and field, from Noah Lyles’ willingness to stir things up to Sha’Carri Richardson’s unapologetic personality, the rivalries brewing across the sport and why track could benefit from embracing a little more trash talk. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about competition, personalities, rivalries, storytelling and…

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber are coming at you live from Budapest with Team USA relay coach and 400m legend Jeremy Wariner. The Olympic and world champion looks back on his legendary career, from winning Olympic gold at just 20 years old to becoming one of the most dominant 400m runners of his generation. Jeremy gets into his race strategy, the brutal workouts that told him he was ready to run fast, racing alongside LaShawn Merritt, and why he never really needed to train for the 200m despite making U.S. Championship finals. He also breaks down how the 400m has evolved, whether modern spikes and technology would have made him faster, and what he thinks of the current crop of 400m stars, including Quincy Wilson and Rai Benjamin. Now a high school coach and member of Team USA’s relay staff, Jeremy also shares what he has learned from his longtime coach Clyde Hart, how he approaches coaching young athletes, and what it’s like managing rivalries and egos when athletes have to put everything aside to get the…

Let the grand experiment begin! The inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships, first announced in 2024, are finally upon us and the streets of Budapest are full of track and field fans looking forward to three jam-packed days of action. Small, high-quality fields have been selected using a combination of world rankings and wild card selections, and the straight-final format (with no rabbits!) promises intriguing results. All year, rivalries have been created, reignited, or grown in intensity during a roller-coaster summer season, and for many, if not most, big stars, the WUC will be the final chapter in the 2026 storybook. We'll have boots on the ground in Hungary delivering live coverage, athlete interviews, and analysis in daily post-meet live shows. Make sure you’re subscribed and tuned in to the CITIUS YouTube channel as well as following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky for updates. ____________ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS OLIPOP: OLIPOP's Citrus Rush packs apple, lemon, lime, and orange juices…

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia are back to break down all the highlights from the Diamond League final in Brussels last weekend. Discussed in this episode: – Men’s 1500m: Cam Myers wins in 3:30 as the first Australian to win a Diamond League distance title. The race has been somewhat overshadowed by everything that followed it. Myers was boxed in behind Jakob and Phanuel Koech with 100 meters to go, found a gap when Koech drifted to lane two, and had the fastest final 100 of the field (12.8). – The controversy: In the mixed zone, Jakob Ingebrigtsen called the field — including himself — losers. He was specifically critical of Cole for bringing in a faster pacer (Christian Jackson) with a promise of 3:27 pace, and then nobody getting on it. – What happened next: Jakob later posted a partial apology and called his field of cowards comment wrong, but stood by his criticism of Cole and his team. This entire controversy is exactly why there should be no pacemakers at the Diamond League final. – Josh Kerr’s…

The Brussels Diamond League final is coming up, World Ultimate Championships in Budapest is in nine days, and the season is headed toward its conclusion. Preet went from Zurich to Bellinzona for the last qualifying weekend, interviewed Coach Laurent Mewly (Femke Broeders-Bol's coach), and is heading to Brussels tomorrow. Discussed in this episode: – Nadia Battocletti runs 3:57 at Bellinzona — Italian 1500m national record. Her range of personal bests across the 1500m, 5K, and 10K is comparable to Hellen Obiri. – Gracie Morris — moves from Puma to Mike Smith's Swoosh TC group: Preet spoke to her in Bellinzona. She explained that the Puma group has become increasingly marathon-oriented (with Dorcas Ewoi as the one 1500m athlete staying). Morris didn’t want to wait for that transition, so she moved to Mike Smith and started doing double threshold. – Sabastian Sawe withdraws from the Berlin Marathon due to a stress fracture in his right tibia: This eliminates any remaining fall marathon options. Valencia, where…

Preet Majithia takes over the CITIUS MAG Podcast in today's episode to sit down with Laurent Meuwly, the head coach for sprints, hurdles, and relays at the Dutch Olympic Training Centre in Papendal. He’s been with the Dutch program since 2019, and the group he has built includes Femke Broeders-Bol, Lieke Klaver, and Nadine Visser, along with a rotating cast of international athletes, including world indoor 400m champion Lurdes Gloria Manuel and Australian sprint star Torrie Lewis. Under his guidance, Dutch relay teams have become a dominant force on the world stage, and his athletes have collected world titles, Olympic medals, and European and national records across the flat 400, the 400 hurdles, and now, in Femke’s first season of competition at the distance, the 800m. When Femke Broeders-Bol made the decision to move up to the 800 this season, it was Laurent who had already been thinking about this moment since he first started working with her. He actually talked her out of making the switch a year…

“Running doesn’t want you to suffer. Running wants you to feel great and powerful. It’s just that we’re humans.” My guest for today’s episode is Coach Chris Bennett — Nike Running Global Head Coach, voice behind hundreds of guided runs on the Nike Run Club app, and now first-time author. His debut book is called *This Is About Running. This Is Not About Running.* — a title he decided on in 2007 when he adopted the mantra while coaching high school cross country at Christian Brothers Academy in New Jersey. Coach Bennett is one of the most distinctive voices in running because of the way he thinks about what running actually is and what it’s actually for. He’s a tremendous storyteller. In this one you’ll hear him tell the stories of he started off in coaching by sending cold emails to his old high school every year asking about a coaching job and kept sending them for nine straight years, expecting a no each time. Why he gets to mile 22 of marathon courses because that’s where doubt creeps in and nobody’s…

Emergency podcast with Chris Chavez, Mac Fleet, and Anderson Emerole after the Zurich Diamond League produced two world records in the hurdles within 40 minutes of each other. – Alison dos Santos, 45.80 — men’s 400m hurdles world record: Takes 0.14 seconds off Karsten Warholm’s 45.94 from the Tokyo Olympic final — one of the most celebrated marks in the sport. Karsten was in the race to defend his own record and finished second in 46.69 — still among the fastest ever run and nowhere near enough. – Masai Russell, 12.09 — women’s 100m hurdles world record, 40 minutes later: Takes 0.03 off Tobi Amusan’s 12.12, with zero wind, and Amusan in the race (Amusan finishes second in a season’s best 12.23). – Parker Wolfe wins the men’s 3000m — American go 1-2 with Graham Blanks: Parker’s first Diamond League victory. Mac breaks down his style versus Cole Hocker’s. The Diamond League final might not suit Parker’s kick-dependent style, but he's a factor in a tactical World Ultimate 5000m final. – Cole Hocker wins the…

Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, and Preet Majithia are back with lots to unpack, including two Diamond Leagues, a half marathon world record, a robot, a Rupp record, and breaking news at the end of the episode. Discussed in this episode: – Yomif Kejelcha, 56:51 half marathon world record, Buenos Aires: Cuts 21 seconds off Jacob Kiplimo’s 57:20 from Lisbon in March (note: the Lisbon run hasn’t been formally ratified yet either). Kejelcha’s splits: 13:45 through 5K, 27:19 through 10K (19 seconds off world record pace), then he turns it on: 13:22 for 10K-to-15K, closes the final kilometer in 2:32. – Silesia men’s 1500m — Ethan Strand wins in 3:30, 11th to first: Cole Hocker third (3:31.17, first race since Pre Classic, seven weeks off), Jakob Ingebrigtsen fourth (3:31.19, ten days after winning the European 5K), Phanuel Koech second (3:31.14). Splits: 1:50.4 last 800, 54.3 last lap, 26.4 last 200 (13.2/13.2 for Ethan). Strand ran wide in lane two for much of the race, avoided the traffic that boxed Cole and Jakob,…

“I’d rather do a race than a time trial as my first marathon. I went to New York during my off season last year just to see how it was. I got to feel the atmosphere and I was like: yeah, I want to do this.” My guest for today’s episode is Andreas Almgren, who is the newly-minted European 10,000m champion and soon-to-be a first-time marathoner. On November 1st he will run the New York City Marathon for his debut at the distance. He’s had a great past 12 months with four European records in that span: the 10K road in Valencia in January at 26:45 (puts him sixth on the world all-time list); the half marathon last October in 58:41 (the first European under 59 minutes); World Championships bronze in Tokyo last September, where he finished 0.25 seconds off gold; and a 5000m European record of 12:44 last outdoor season. He’s one of the best in the world right now. Andreas is 31. He grew up in Sweden playing wing-back at AIK, one of the biggest clubs in the Nordics, and only turned to running full-time after…

Chris and Kyle reunite for a European Championships wrap up that includes the women’s 800m race everyone came to Birmingham for, Jakob’s comments on Josh Kerr, Amy Hunt’s four gold medals, Andreas Almgren’s 10K performance and more. Discussed in this episode: – Audrey Werro wins the women’s 800m in 1:54.81 — a 44-year-old championship record: The race everyone wanted. Hodgkinson takes the front after the first bend, Werro goes wide on the back straight and takes the lead at 300m. First lap 56.45, 29.2 through 600, Werro opens the gap off the final turn, Hodgkinson closes half a meter — and that’s it. It is the only two sub-1:54 performances since the 1980s. Keely takes silver in 1:55.01 — also under the old record. No one else was within three seconds. Werro’s season: won all six outdoor races, PB from 1:55.91 to 1:53.80, four of the five fastest times in the world this year. – The semi controversy: Werro was clipped from behind and fell late in Thursday’s semi, hit the rail, was limping afterward. Officials…

The hardest part of marathon training is finding the time to marathon train. It depends who you are, but that excuse often works for me. Life is busy and there are plenty of reasons to be content with an easy 5-mile run before work each day, though do that for six months and you quickly realize that rather than progressing the fitness just continues to erode. Looking for some new motivation to get me out the door this summer, I decided that it was time to do another fall marathon. Nike approached CITIUS MAG and asked whether anyone on our team was interested in running this year’s race. I decided it was finally time to do the Chicago Marathon. Having done three marathons before, I have learned that each one comes with a new curriculum of education. Experience is valuable and that’s why I am going to be leaning in on arguably the greatest distance runner in American history, Galen Rupp, to help guide my training. In addition to having won two Olympic medals, Rupp also has a Chicago Marathon title to his name.…

“Without that disappointment — could he have recalibrated, adapted, and trained as hard ashe did for the record? Sometimes our biggest disappointment becomes our biggest inspiration.” My guest for today’s episode is Jose Maresma — clinical exercise physiologist, sport psychologist, and the mental performance coach behind Josh Kerr’s mile world record. If you listened to our conversation with Josh or Danny Mackey over the last few weeks, you heard his name come up repeatedly — the whiteboard in Albuquerque, the instructions on race morning, 'what if it was easy.' Jose was the person on the other end of all of it. Jose has been working in performance psychology for 35 years, across Olympic sports, professional athletics, special forces, law enforcement, and corporate leadership. He started in the world of metabolic development, alpine ski racing, the Olympic Training Center, and kept running into the same bottleneck: the mind. His connection to Josh started not with Josh but with Josh’s wife, Larimar. She…

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia are back at it with Preet coming to us live from the European Championships media center in Birmingham. Discussed in this episode: – Jakob Ingebrigtsen wins the European 5K in 13:15: First race in 11 months following surgery on the sheath around his left Achilles in February. At one point he was three seconds off the front in what appeared to be a dangerously strung-out single-file race. Nobody made it hard for him — a tactical mistake by the field. – What’s next for Jakob: He’s entered in the Silesia Diamond League (announced this morning). He’s also confirmed for the Zurich Diamond League, where he’ll face Cole Hocker and Isaac Nader. The World Ultimate Championship 1500m path has also been clarified. – European Championships women’s 800m heats — possibly the fastest in major championships history. Keely Hodgkinson leads from the front in Heat 1, clocks 1:57.28 looking completely in control. Audrey Werro and Femke Bol also advance. Semis: August 13th. Final: Friday August…

Chris Chavez and Preet Majithia are back to put a bow on the Commonwealth Games, preview what Josh Kerr does next, assess Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s return, dig into the road to World Ultimate Championships, preview U20 Worlds in Eugene, and cover several news stories that got buried. – The Commonwealth Games and its future: Glasgow stepped in as last-minute host after Victoria, Australia pulled out in 2023 citing runaway costs. The result: a smaller-scale games (ten sports instead of the usual 17-18, no road races or triathlon). The core value of the Games — small island nations competing on a multi-sport stage, home nations competing as Scotland/Wales/England/Northern Ireland rather than GB, a stepping stone between junior and Diamond League levels — remains intact. – Men’s mile: Josh Kerr gold, 3:54.12: Josh got boxed at 450 out and had to force his way clear, covering extra distance in the process. None of it mattered. His final lap: 53.61. Won by 1.14 seconds over Cam Myers (silver), Timothy Cheruiyot…

“You can’t recreate the feeling that Josh created for me as a coach in any synthetic way. It had to have been done the way that he did it.” My guest for today’s episode is Danny Mackey, the head coach of the Brooks Beasts Track Club. Almost two weeks before we recorded this, Josh Kerr ran 3:42.66 at the London Diamond League and took 47 hundredths of a second off Hicham El Guerrouj’s mile world record — a mark that had been on the books for 27 years. Danny is the guy who wrote the training for it. He’s been coaching Josh for eight years now and this year he’s also got Brandon Miller running 1:42.19 to win in London seventy minutes before Josh’s race. It was an epic day for the Brooks Beasts. This one is a coach’s-eye reconstruction of how a world record actually gets built. We go back to the workouts in Albuquerque in 2024 when Danny first told Josh he thought the record was there. We get into the PowerPoint pitch to Brooks. Danny walks through how he writes training. We talk about the ninety-minute…

“You just have to believe that at some point it’s going to translate into the actual result you want. These close calls aren’t only going to be my defining story.” My guest for today’s episode is Vince Ciattei — U.S. 5000m champion. At 31 years old, roughly 24 hours after losing the 1500m final by five hundredths of a second, Vince went back out at Icahn Stadium and won the 5K national title in 13:46.75 — an event he had raced once in the previous five years. It was the first national title of his career, and it came after a run of fourths, thirds, and seconds that have stretched across nearly a decade as a professional. Vince trains with Under Armour Dark Sky Distance in Flagstaff under Stephen Haas. He went to Virginia Tech, where he only became good enough to go pro in his fifth year. He came back from an injury straight away as a pro. He finished fourth at the 2024 Olympic Trials by a quarter of a second and has been on the edge of breaking through internationally for years, and this year it finally…

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber recap the final day of the 2026 USATF Outdoor Championships at Icahn Stadium We discuss: FINALS: – Cooper Lutkenhaus, 17 years old, dominated the men's 800m in 1:43.48, winning his second US title of 2026 and negative-splitting a 52.26-51.23 for a 1.07-second margin over Wes Ferguson. Six 800m finals in 2026. Six wins. Now including a US title against a full professional field. – Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran a stadium-record 21.69 to win the women's 200m — just 0.01 off her winning time at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. She got out of the blocks like a rocket and had the race decided before the straightaway. Cambrea Sturgis was second in 22.22. – The men's 200m turned into drama for the wrong reason. Garrett Kaalund, running for USC, won in 20.04 — becoming the first collegian to win the US 200m title in 18 years. But two-time defending champion Noah Lyles pulled up with an apparent injury coming off the turn and walked it in for last. – Cordell Tinch won a men's 110m…

Day 3 delivered upsets, dynasties extended, and a mayor in the stands — NYC's Zohran Mamdani made it out to Randall's Island for what has become the sports event of New York's summer, alongside the Knicks' NBA title and the World Cup. We discuss: FINALS: - Women's 400m — Aaliyah Butler, 49.93: In her first full season as a professional, the 22-year-old ran a perfectly executed race to win her first USATF outdoor title. Alexis Holmes was second in 50.47. - Men's 400m — Chris Bailey, 44.39: Bailey adds an outdoor title to his 2025 U.S. indoor crown — but not without drama. Justin Robinson crossed first in 44.31 before being disqualified for a lane violation, promoting Bailey to gold. - Women's steeplechase — Lexy Halladay-Lowry, 9:12.54: A stadium record and a successful title defense. Halladay-Lowry let Gabbi Jennings lead the first six laps before unleashing a devastating final 600m to pull away. Jennings held on for second in 9:17.42 — a career-best championship finish. - Men's steeplechase — Nate Mountain,…

The sprint finals delivered on every promise. Noah Lyles ran a world-leading 9.79 and Sha'Carri Richardson put on a show in the women's 100m. The 800m prelims produced some genuine surprises. We discuss: FINALS: - Women's 100m — Sha'Carri Richardson, 10.77: Richardson was in a different gear, pulling away from the field by halfway to win in 10.77 — equaling her season's best and breaking the Icahn Stadium record. Star Athletics teammate Kayla White was second in 10.90, Tamari Davis third in 11.00. Richardson has now won three of the last four U.S. 100m titles. - Men's 100m — Noah Lyles, 9.79: Lyles delivered when it mattered most — his eighth USATF outdoor title and a wind-legal world lead of 9.79, equaling his lifetime best. Ronnie Baker ran a strong season's best of 9.88 for second, Kenny Bednarek third just 0.005 seconds behind Baker, also at 9.88. PRELIMS: - Women's 400m heats: Aaliyah Butler leads all qualifiers winning heat 2 in 50.53, Sanaria Butler won the final heat from lane 1 in 51.10. Alexis…

Start spreading the news… because the U.S. national championship for track and field has officially landed on the East Coast, taking over Randall’s Island and Icahn Stadium for the next four days of action. As the sun set over the Harlem River, U.S. titles were handed out in the men’s and women’s 10,000m, men’s long jump and hammer throw, and women’s javelin. The finals were set in the 1500ms and the steeplechase, and we got our first look at Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson, and more of the country’s best sprinters in the first round of the 100m. The most memorable moment of Day 1 wasn’t exactly a feat of history-making speed — it was the 1:39.55 first 400 meters of a ridiculously tactical women’s 10,000m final, where the field crawled through halfway over 18 minutes before Sydney Vaught took control and never looked back, covering the second half in 15:21 to break the field and the tape with a 33:30.60 victory. In the men’s race, a similarly slow early pace (16:12 through halfway) seemed to be playing…

My guest for today’s episode is Josh Kerr – mile world record holder. On July 18th at the London Diamond League, in front of 60,000 people, Josh ran 3:42.66 to break Hicham El Guerrouj’s record that had stood for 27 years, which was the longest-standing mile world record in the history of the event, and one that many believed might never fall. He did it by calling his shot four months in advance, locking himself into a specific date and venue before he had even finished rehabbing the calf he tore at the World Championships in Tokyo last September. Josh is already one of the most decorated middle-distance runners of his generation — world champion, two-time Olympic medalist, two-time world indoor champion at 3000 meters. But the world record puts him in a different category entirely. He is now the seventh Brit to hold the mile world record, and the first since Steve Cram in 1985, joining a line that runs through Roger Bannister, Seb Coe, Steve Ovett, and Steve Cram. The race commentator on the world feed, Tim…

Chris Chavez and Kyle Merber drop the full preview of the 2026 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Icahn Stadium in New York City, held Thursday through Sunday. CITIUS MAG will have daily end-of-day recap podcasts, a daily newsletter, and interviews on YouTube throughout the weekend. Watch on USATF.tv, Peacock, and NBC (Saturday and Sunday TV windows). Free tickets are available courtesy of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 500-ticket giveaway for Thursday and Friday. If you live within a couple hours of Icahn Stadium, no excuses. Some of the events discussed in this episode: – Women’s 10K (Thursday): Thin field after Karissa Schweizer scratched. Top eight from last year’s USAs are not competing. Kyle’s read: the scratch actually makes for a better race — more wide open. – Men’s 10K (Thursday): 13 men entered. Grant Fisher versus Woody Kincaid as the headline matchup — Grant riding the momentum of his first Diamond League victory and doubling in the 5K. – Women’s 100m (Friday): No MJW vs. Sha’Carri…